"Is there a Kiera Elsher in this residence?" the police officer on the left, who carried a clipboard, asked.

Oh fuck.

"Um, yes?" I replied. I took a step backward from the door, suddenly self-conscious about my lack of a bra and flannel shorts. I noticed both officers had a little insignia on the right side of their chest with "Piper Myers University Police" written in small font.

"We just wanted to check in to see how you are doing. We heard there was some issue last night?" the same police with the clipboard asked.

I felt a bit startled by the question. What on Earth would the police know about what happened last night? It was also intimidating just being this close to them -- I had only interacted with police officers once before, and it was when I'd gotten rear-ended on the highway by my hometown.

Sure, they seemed like they didn't want to hurt me, and like they were only asking if I was feeling okay, but it didn't change the fact that I could see the bulge of a gun underneath their jackets.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine," I replied, meekly.

"Okay. We got a call that advised we check on you. If you need us, please feel free to call us using the university police number," the clipboard officer responded.

I nodded vehemently. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm totally fine. I don't know why someone called you." I wanted them to leave me alone and was tempted to shut the door in their faces.

Who the fuck called them on me?

It had to be David.

"Alright," the clipboard police responded. He seemed a bit uncertain, like he didn't want to just leave without getting really anything out of me, but knew he couldn't stay. "Hope you have a good rest of your morning."

I nodded again, and then quickly shut the door, so I didn't have to interact any further.

At that moment, Cassidy walked out of her room.

She stared at the shut door and then met my distressed gaze. "What's going on?"

"I guess the police came by."

"The police?!"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean...like actual police officers? For what? They didn't find my alcohol right?" I'd almost completely forgotten that she often stored some illegal bottles of tequila in our cabinets. I guess maybe I should have considered moving those to a place less close to the door and therefore less visible in case someone else came by and a cabinet happened to be open.

"No, they were actually just here for me. Apparently."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Is this about last night..."

"I think so."

"What the fuck...do you think it was David?"

"Yup," I replied, almost positive. Who else would have called the police? Sure, they didn't say anything about the actual incident, but it would very much be a David move to call them to "check in" as a way to scare me.

I guess it could be another concerned student who witnessed whatever happened last night. But I wasn't sure how anyone else would know where I lived or know my full name to report it.

"I'm going to fucking kill him," Cassidy stated, before swiftly heading back into her room.

I sighed and returned to my cereal, feeling more hopeless than before.

                                               ___________________________________________

Even though I knew it wasn't true, it felt like everyone around me knew what had happened.

When I walked into the dining hall to grab lunch, I thought I could feel eyes on my back, sending shivers down my spine. As I sat in the library studying, I kept thinking the girl at the desk across from me was eyeing me. Even walking into my dorm, I felt like the security guard was giving me a weird look.

At some point during the day, I'd gotten an email from my RA asking me about how I was doing. I ignored it completely, even clicking it so it would stop showing up as "unread." I was done with the whole situation.

The weird feeling of being watched followed me all the way to the date I had later that night with someone I met online.

I wasn't the biggest fan of online dating. I'd tried it a couple of times before and had always seemed to have the worst luck. I'd match with people who often seemed cool, but conversations would end nearly as quickly as they started. People forget to check apps or are simply not interested enough to respond.

This time, Harry, a fellow Piper Myers student and biology major, had actually immediately set up a time for a date. I'd been a bit skeptical just because I hadn't gotten the chance to feel him out, but Cassidy had encouraged me to go for it. I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Now, I sat at a table in the patio of the restaurant called Dee and Venice that was known for its great Italian food. Harry hadn't arrived yet, although I was arguably quite early. Growing up, my mom had been a stickler for being on time, and her habits had transmitted directly to me.

I looked down at my menu, their penne ala vodka and fettucine alfredo catching my eye. This would be a difficult decision.

As I turned the menu to the next page, I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder.

I looked up, expecting Harry, but felt my heart sink when I realized it wasn't him. Instead, it was a man with a beard who clearly seemed a lot older than me by at least a decade or so. On top of that, he wasn't even in the restaurant - there was a rope that separated the patio from the sidewalk, and he stood on the opposite side of it from me.

"Hey, pretty, mind if I ask you a question?" he said, his voice husky and low.

I scooted my chair a bit farther from the rope, not enjoying how he was most definitely in my personal space. "Sorry, I'm actually busy," I replied, hoping he'd take the hint. I returned to looking at my menu with an added fervor.

Sure, I wasn't absolutely positive that this random guy was trying to hit on me, but I had a bad feeling judging by how he'd started. I didn't appreciate being called "pretty."

Also, why would anyone try hitting on someone when they are clearly at a restaurant for a date? At least, I felt like my get up said as much. My pale blue dress and curled hair insinuated I wasn't just sitting at a restaurant table alone for no reason.

"You're very beautiful. Sexy," the man commented, still hovering over me in my personal space.

Yeah, that was it for me.

I got up and headed into the restaurant to find the hostess. Thankfully, she was free at the front desk, not speaking with anyone at the moment.

"Hi, I'm so sorry to do this, but would it be possible to get a table indoors, actually? I'm fine waiting a bit if needed."

She nodded. "Of course! I think we have one opening in a handful of minutes. You can wait here."

I took a seat at the cushioned velvet bench and crossed my arms. As I checked my phone, I realized Harry was already five minutes late.

Perhaps this date was a bad idea after all.